Crescendo
by thejennakayshow
Summary: This fic starts as Beth walks up to Dawn in Coda. Beth made one horrible decision and it could cause her, her life. Daryl had searched high and low for her and he wasnt going to give up on her now, he would fight for her, even after her last breath, he needed her, why? He didnt quite know, but he wanted to find out. But for right now,he just needed her to live. BETHYL/possible smut
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own the characters. If i had, Coda wouldve ended WAY differently but may have still had the same shock value...I am starting this fic in the place right after Beth steps up to Dawn. I am going to write how i feel the finale should have ended and how 5B should have went! Love and reviews are appreciated. If you have any ideas feel free to PM me and let me know :) MUCH LOVE AND BETHYL ON MY LOVELIES!

"I get it now." Her voice sternly said.

Beth stood there for the briefest of moments deciding if she was actually going to go through with this. This wasn't her. She didnt kill out of cold blood.

Daryl stood back trying to figure out what Beth was doing. He started to reach out to her Beth had pushed the small pair of surgical scissors into the temple of the bitchy cop and the gun shoot rang out just after. Beth's hand fell limply from the scissors that had now fallen from the cops head. Dawn stood there in shock as everyone watched Beth's body fall back to the floor in pain, slamming her head into the tile floor and becoming unconscious. Without thinking Daryl lifted his gun shooting Dawn square between the eyes. Everything had happened in a matter of seconds but those seconds had destroyed every remaining bit of hope he had for this world. He looked at Beth's motionless body laying on the floor and began to crumble. He fell to his knees sobbing muttering 'No' over and over between the sobs. Beth hand was covering her upper stomach and blood was starting to pool below her. He lifted her hand by the wrist to find a bullet wound below. The faintest of a pulse was felt below he fingers and he rushed to lift her limp body in his arms.

Xxxxxxx A/N: And that is how i wouldve ended the MSF. Every last viewer on earth would think she was dead. Because no one watching could feel her pulse. ;) i know im evil like that. Anywho, one with the rest of this wonderful yet, somewhat short chapter. Xxxxxxxx

"You!"Daryl barked out at the doctor hovering in a doorway. "You're a doctor! Save her!" He demanded. The doctor looked at what seemed like a lifeless body in his arms and looked back up at Daryl with apologetic eyes. "No! No! Shes alive god damn it! Do somethin'!" He screamed. The doctor moved from the doorway motioning for Daryl to go in, afraid of challenging the rough looking man.

Daryl laid Beth's body on the table. The doctor followed him knto the room and surveyed the damage after Daryl stepped away and rounded to the other side of the table.

"It looks like the bullet missed any vital organs or arteries. It just barely missed her lung." The Doc stated, trying to give the good news first.

"So she'll be ok?"Daryl felt a swell of hope start to lighten his heavy heart.

"She has internal bleeding. I would need to preform surgery." The Doc looked up at Daryl again with that apologetic look.

"Whatever we can do i will do it. I will help. We gotta try!" Daryl insisted his chest heaving in an attempt not to cry. He wouldnt give up on her. He never would. Even after her last breath he would fight to bring her back.

"Rule #1 is you dont operate on your loved ones. So i would need someone else. Someone with some medical background. Someone that has smaller hands." He said looking at Daryl.

"I will do it. I can help. I owe her that much." Carol's voice rang out from the doorway. "I was a nurse." Carol lied as the doctor looked over at her. She was as close to a nurse as this world had to offer thanks to Beth's father, just another reason she had to do it.

"Alright then. Anythin' i can do to help?" Daryl said as he let Carol take over his spot next to Beth.

"We need blood. She's lost quite a bit." Carol said to him. Knowing it would be better to givw Daryl something to do or the waiting was going to drive him nuts.

"Ya can have mine." Daryl offered.

"Someone that doesnt have the bad habits of smoking." The Doc spoke up from preparing for the surgery and handing Carol gloves, seeing the pack of smokes in Daryl's shirt pocket.

"Beth? Beth?!" Maggie's voice rang down the hallway.

"The blood just arrived. Get to work." Daryl grunted out. "Dont let her die." He stated looking at Carol. Carol nodded her head and got to work cutting Beth's shirt off.

Daryl closed the door behind him turning to find Maggie sobbing on the floor, At the feet of Rick who must have told her what was going on. Glenn was wrapped around Maggie as she rocked back and forth crying and mumbling out what sounded like a prayer.

"Maggie, Beth needs yer help. We need yer blood." Daryl said as he crouched down next to the hysterical woman.

"Ok." Maggie said nodding her head. "Ok." She said again. "Where's the stuff i know how to do it. Daddy taught me back at the prison. Where's the stuff?" She asked frantically.

"Its in here." Noah spoke up, gesturing to a room behind him. Maggie entered it without hesitation and got to work. She emerged a few minutes later with a full blood bag as she swayed back and forth, dizzy from the loss of blood, but she didnt care, the only thing that mattered right now was saving Beth.

"Ill donate too if you need me too." Carl spoke up and looked up to Rick who nodded and added a 'me too'. Maggie motioned them to come into the room with her and got back to work. Daryl walked the blood bag down to the room Beth was in and knocked on the door.

"I got some blood. A full bag from Maggie, Rick and Carl are doin' it too." Daryl called through the door. A moment later Carol opened the door a small amount reaching out with her glove covered hand that was now also covered in blood. She grabbed the bag giving Daryl a worried look.

"We will let you know." She said simply before closing the door behind her. Daryl felt at a loss right now and there was nothing he could do. He felt helpless for the first time since that fateful night Beth was taken from him. And now, again, he had to play the waiting game.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if yall want me to keep going! Much love and Bethyl On my Lovelies!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for the love for the fic!

I DO NOT OWN THE TWD CHARACTERS!

Daryl sat in the hallway propped against the wall next to the room Beth was in. He was chewing on his thumb nervously waiting for Carol or the Doctor to come out and give him the news.

"Mind if i wait with you?" Rick's rough voice said pulling Daryl from his thoughts. Daryl gave him a nod. "Really worried about her huh?" Rick asked looking over at his frazzled brother.

"Yeah." Daryl mumbled out.

"You love her dontcha? I've never seen you so hell bent on keeping someone alive." Rick admitted. Daryl gave Rick a look of disbelief but Rick retorted with a raised eyebrow challenging Daryl to think about it for a minute.

"I dunno." He mumbled shrugging his shoulders.

"She may be another Greene girl but shes definitely one of a kind. I don't know why she did what she did though." Rick said thinking out loud. Daryl shrugged his shoulders too. Daryl was just as puzzled at that as Rick was. "Guess she was just fighting for what she believed in. She is a Greene after all, stubborn as hell." Rick said causing both men to chuckle a bit. "And that's why she is gonna make it, brother." Rick said with a small smile. Rick had long ago stopped with having faith, but for his brother that looked torn into pieces, he'd muster up what he could.

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Maggie was sitting in the room where she had taken blood praying to God to keep the one light of hope this world had left to give. She was so broken sitting there in silence sending silent prayers to the Lord.

"Shes gonna come out of this. She has to." Glenn said trying to support his wife. He knew he was stating something he couldn't promise but he could always promise his hope. He hoped Beth would be okay. He wasn't sure Maggie could handle Beth dying too after they had just gone through the loss of her father.

Maggie have Glenn a weak smile and went back to silently praying. She knew she should be thankful for Beth making it this far but she knew she had Daryl to thank for that. She stood up quickly realizing she hadn't thanked Daryl for that. Her swift actions made Glenn give her a worried look.

"Ill just be a second." She said to him before walking out the door into the hallways. She looked both ways trying to find the gruff man who had saved her sister's life, finding him sitting with Rick outside of the room Beth was in. Quietly she patted over to him stopping in front of Daryl who seemed to be zoned out thinking about something. "Daryl?" Maggie squeaked out in a weak voice. "I just wanted to say thank you." Maggie said after waiting for a moment. Daryl didn't reply but looked up at her with a confused look. "You saved her." She said answering his unasked question.

"She saved herself." He admitted. One thing he wouldn't admit was Beth was the one that did the saving between the two of them.

"If you hadn't had gotten her out of the prison she would've died. If she had been on that bus like i told her..." she trailed off thinking of how grateful of that she was.

"I Ain't that good, all that got her was here." He said rubbing his eyes with frustration and exhaustion.

"But she wouldn't have lasted this long if she hadn't been with you. You are a good teacher, Daryl." Maggie said trying to prove her point.

"She made a shit decision cause'a my teachin. Now shes fightin fer life cause i taught her ta fight fer what she believed in." He mumbled out mentally kickin himself.

"No, that was Daddy. Daddy taught us that a long time before you. You, you taught her how to survive. How to take care of herself." Maggie explained.

"She taught me how ta live." He mumbled to himself in a broken voice. He had been fighting it, the emotions, this whole time. But he broke. He didn't sob, no he couldn't show anyone that, he hid his face and let the tears silently flow down his face behind his veil of hair. Maggie took his silence as her que to leave and walked back to her room with Glenn.

"Any word on Beth?" Glenn asked as she walked in and closed the door behind her. Maggie shook her head and joined him on the hospital bed and cried until the exhaustion of the day took over.

Daryl was starting to drift to sleep when he hurt the click of a door. He snapped his head up to see Carol standing at the door, waiting for the firing squad.

"Hows it lookin?" Rick pipped up before Daryl could form words.

"Shes stable but we don't know which way its gonna go. It was pretty bad. You'll have to talk to the doc when he comes out." She said with a sorrowful look. She looked down the hall to Michonne who was bouncing a crying Judith on her hip. "I'm going to go relieve Michonne and try to get Judith to sleep." She said and Rick gave her a nod. A few minutes later the doc emerged from the room.

"Whats the verdict?" Rick asked sternly.

"We have her stable. It doesn't look like shes in the clear yet. I'm going to be keeping a close eye on her. We were able to stop the internal bleeding. I'm a bit worried about the blood transfusions since we weren't able to test to make sure of blood type matches. Shes doing well for now. She needs to rest. I gave her some sedatives to help her sleep and heal. Now excuse me, I've got to check on a few other patients." The doc said before walking off.

"Can i go in?" Daryl asked before the doc went too far. The doctor stopped and turned to nod at him. Daryl looked at Rick for a quick moment not knowing what to do.

"Go on man, ill come check on ya in a little while." Rick said and patted Daryl's shoulder before walking away to check on the rest of his family.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter :) I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS. THE WALKING DEAD DOES.

Daryl pushed the door open and closed it behind him quietly. He knew Beth was out for a while but he didnt want to be the reason she woke up in pain. He turned looking at the girl...no, the woman in question. She had a gray blanket tucked around her up to her armpits. He hair no longer in the ponytail but was bunched on top of her head in a messy bun that he was sure Carol had done to keep the blood out of her hair. He was grateful for that. Thankful that someone was trying to help him shield her from the horrors of the world that would now be scarred on her forever. Scarred. Just like he was. He let out a sigh as he approached the side of her bed. Her once milky skin was now a sickly pale and her collar bones were sticking out more than they had the last time he saw her. It was apparent that the time she had here in the hospital before he and the group arrived was very hard on her. When she woke up the first thing he was going to do was force her to eat. Eat until he could physically see her stomach expand from being overstuffed. He let out a light chuckle. Who was he kidding he couldn't force her to eat but he would do his best to make sure she would. He pulled the chair behind him up to her bed before sitting down and looking over her face. The cut on her cheek was pretty big and the severity of it reminded him of the gashes that had once riddled his back and now left him with scars that would scare anyone upon first glance. He stared at her as his eyes burned. Afraid that if he gave in to his exhaustion he would wake up and she would be gone again. He crossed his arms and leaned them on the bed in front of him, next to her arm. He gently laced one of his hands with Beth's he needed to touch her. He needed to know she was real, she was really with him. He laid his forehead on his arms and finally gave in to sleep as he held Beth's hand.

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"Maggie?" Rick whispered walking into the room she and Glenn were in. Maggie sat up wiping the sleep from her eyes as Glenn continued to snore.

"Yeah?" She said standing up from the bed with a stretch.

"They are done with Beth, shes sedated pretty heavy to help her rest to heal. The Doc said he wants keep an eye on her due to the blood loss and to make sure she takes our blood well." He told her walking her out from the room.

"Well if he just used mine she'll be fine. We are both a B Positive. Did he have to use and Carl's too?" She asked.

"Just yers and mine." He said softly.

"Jesus! That's 2 pints of blood!" Maggie said running her hands over her face in utter disbelief.

"She lost quite a bit of blood. The doc is going to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't need more. And if she does we've got you, me, and Carl that can donate more." He said now feeling a sense of relief knowing Beth got the right blood type during the blood transfusion.

"Can i go see her?" She asked in a whisper while looking down the hall.

"Shes out of now. Daryl is in there with her. The Doc said shed be out for a while. Why don't you get some rest and see her in the morning. " Rick said giving Maggie a warm smile.

"Whatever happened between them? I mean i know they got out together, Daryl told me that much, but he wont leave her side." Maggie said thinking out loud.

"I dunno but i know one thing forsure. Hes beating himself for her ending up here and her life being on the fence right now." Rick answered knowing that Daryl was in love wit Beth, even if Daryl didn't understand it himself. Maggie gave him a small nod and opened the door to her room to get some more rest.

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"Hey sleepyhead" Carol's soft voice jolted Daryl awake. He stood up fast, swift on his feet pulling his knife out and blocking Beth from the intruder in the room. "Whoa Pookie!" She said stepping back a few steps. "Was just coming to check on you. Let you know that the hospital folk are offering us dinner." She said with her hands up in surrender. Daryl shook his head a few times trying to wake his brain from his slumber.

"What they wantin'?" Daryl asked in a sleep filled voice?

"Nothin'" Carol said quickly.

"Noah done told me that ain't how they operate." Daryl retorted giving Carol a look that said he was doubting what she was saying while he placed his knife back in its sheath.

"Honestly, they feel super bad about the situation and are just grateful they don't have to deal with Dawn anymore." Carol said with a shrug.

"Ain't hungry." Daryl said returning to his chair by Beth. He stared at her cataloging everything again and seeing if there had been any change. "Ya know staring at her isn't going to will her awake right?" Carol asked standing at the door with her hand on the handle. Daryl glanced over at her without a word. "Well ill leave you to it." She said before she closed the door behind her. 'Dinner?' Daryl thought to himself. Had be seriously been asleep that long? He knew it hadn't gone to sleep until the middle of the night but that would put him at almost 18 hours of sleep? He couldn't remember ever getting sleep like that, especially since the turn.

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"How is he?" Michonne asked Carol in the dining hall.

"He's in protector mode." She answered before taking a bite out of her mashed potatoes. Michonne nodded with a look indicating she was hard in thought.

"i walked in to check on Beth this morning and he was sound asleep holding her hand." Maggie said speaking up without looking at the two women. "I'm not sure whats going on there but there is definitely something. Something i plan on figuring out." She added.

"He's changed." Carol said. "When we were hunting of her, ya know before j got taken, he was just so positive. Don't get me wrong, i love Daryl to death but the only positive bone in that man's body has only been in regards to Judith. Beth's somehow made him reprogram or something." She said thoughtfully looking at nothing.

"Yeah, I've noticed that to. But i don't know, i have to. But it ain't been Beth that pulled me from that rut. Guess we've all done a little changing. It could be nothing. Seems like Daryl's just putting Beth as his responsibility since hes the one that lost her. Ya know?" Michconne said standing up from her chair.

"We gotta have a group meeting tonight." Abe spoke up. Eugene looked over at him and quickly back down at his plate. He knew he was about to be outed to the rest of the group. "We gotta make a game plan for after all this." He said looking at all the faces surrounding the long table. "DC is outta the question. So we need a new survival plan. I don't know bout ya'll but hospitals give me the creeps. Rather leave as soon as we can." Abe finished.

"We aren't splitting up again." Glenn said sternly.

"Yeah I'm not leaving without my sister." Maggie said though gritted teeth.

"We ain't leavin Beth. If Beth stays Daryl stays. I ain't going anywhere without them. So i suggest ya get used to havin the creeps." Rick said before picking up his place and taking it to the dish washer. He walked out of the cafeteria and out to go to his room. Maggie had told him about Eugene and his lies. Rick wasn't really sure if he could look the mullet baring man in the eyes. He had promised a cure, a cure that would help him keep his kids safe that would rid the world of the walking corpses. But Eugene had lied, just to save his own ass. He could understand why, the man was damn near useless. Rick had almost made it to his room when he was stopped by one of the hospital officers.

"Need to go out on a run, wonderin if you would come." The officer asked.

"Don't trust ya'll, ill pass." Rick said, his voice stern with uncertainty.

"I get that, how about you and another one of your group. It'll just be 2 of you and 1 of me. Ya know so you're more comfortable out numbering me." The cop said with his thumbs looped through the front of his belt, the stance of a cop. He remembered that stance well, he honestly couldn't remember when he stopped.

"Ill haveta think about it." He grunted out before going into his room.

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The latch of the door clicked grabbing Daryl's attention before it even opened. Maggie entered without a word walking to the other side of the bed.

"She's gonna make it, you know?" Maggie said looking down at Beth's pale body.

"Mhm." Daryl hummed in agreement.

"She won't have a reaction to our blood, so shes just resting because of the wound more than anything." She said softly looking up to Daryl. Daryl gave her a slight nod and went back to looking at Beth.

"You need to go get some rest Daryl. She wont be up for a while and i will come get you if anything changes." Maggie said to him.

"Ain't leavin her again." He grunted out in reply.

"Daryl you're no use to her if you aren't well rested." Maggie said.

"Ill sleep jus fine here." He said without looking at her.

"What happened to you two?" She asked.

"A lot." He replied. He ignored her presence for the rest of the night until she finally gave up and went to bed. Daryl laced his fingers with Beth like the night before and drifted off to sleep. He knew his back would hurt him in the morning. But he knew it would hurt worse if something happened and he wasn't here with her. Daryl had been in a heavy sleep when he heard the sweet angelic voice he hadn't heard say his name in so long. Beth. He raised his head looking up to her through sleepy eyes. Her eyes were still closed and she hadn't moved an inch. But her lips had moved. Or so it seemed to him. She had a faint smile as she slept and he hoped this was a sign she was starting to come to. He stayed awake again for a few hours until he finally gave back in to sleep deciding her voice was a trick his sick mind was playing on him. What he didn't know was the weak whisper of the angelic voice had been real.

A/N: Reviews are love :) Let me know what you think! Merry Christmas & Happy holidays Ya'll! This will probably be the last update for a week. My mom is coming into town for the holidays so i wont have time to update but i promise i will be back next week! MUCH LOVE AND BETHYL ON MY LOVELIES!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are absolutely amazing! I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS, HOWEVER I DO OWN ALL THE TYPOS AND WHATNOT. Enjoy! And remember Reviews are my fuel ;)

He could hear her call say his name in a broken and weak voice. He cold also hear the death moans. He was in the the hospital sitting on the edge of the elevator shaft looking down and seeing Beth at the bottom. Her face lit with her flashlight, eyes shining brightly as she smiled at him. The death growls grew louder and he seen them but words failed him, failed him to warn her and he watched on as they tore Beth to pieces.

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Daryl woke with a start, sweat accumulating on his forehead. But then he heard it. The death growl from his dream. It was dark in the room, the only light source the moon shining in through the window. His hand had broken from Beth's in the middle of his sleep. He searched for her hand finding it gripping the sheets tight. He heard the growl again, he knew he shouldn't but he did, he looked up to find her eyes wide, her mouth releasing hissing noises and groans. He couldn't see if her color was removed from her eyes but the sounds his sweet Beth was making wasn't a Beth sound at all.

"No. No. No. No." He chanted getting hp from his chair next to her and pacing the room. Not her, not Beth. He finally stopped pacing, standing in front of the window looking out at the damaged city that surrounded the hospital. Damaged beyond repair. He couldn't save her. Three strikes and you're out right? Isn't the how the old saying goes? Sofia, Merle and now Beth. He was seriously going to stop caring about people. His caring was a curse. In true Dixon fashion he tainted anything he touched or cared for. The groaning started again followed by a loud thud. He knew she was coming for him. Wanting his flesh. But he didn't care anymore. He couldn't put her down. He couldn't let his last memory of sweet Beth being her blood being spilled over his knife and hand. Nope. He was going to let her bite him. Put an end to the misery of being a Dixon.

"Daryl?" That sweet voice he heard it again. It was weak and vulnerable and Beth. His mind, was trying to let his last memory be her voice before her dead corpse ripped into him. "Daryl, help?" The voice cracked again but this time it was followed by a cough and grunt in pain. He whirled himself around unable to believe his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

Her bright blue eyes were looking at him, a look of horror and pain etched clearly on her face. He took the few steps in 2 long strides to get to her.

"Beth?" He asked looping his arms under hers and pulling her up from the floor.

"Everything hurts." She cried out in a quiet voice. He swept her off her feet holding her bridal style to place her back into her bed.

"Hold on." He said as he fumbled with the pill bottle the Doc had placed on the counter for when she woke up. He handed her 2 pills and a small glass of water and stood there mesmerized that his Beth came back to her. His strong Beth.

"Daryl what happened?" She asked sitting herself up further and wincing at the pain it caused.

"Don't." He said stooping her from trying to move. "Lemme help ya." He said lifting her up again and positioning her to sit up correctly on the bed. "Ya tried ta kill that lady cop. She shot ya." He said softly afraid if he talked to loud he would hurt her. "Shes dead now." He said looking up to her. "Oh." She said straightening out the hospital gown she had on once again. "Are you ok?" She asked looking up at him. Daryl dropped his gaze looking at the floor.

"Mmhmm" hr hummed out while kicking his boot on the floor. There were a couple of moments of silence and he looked up finding her gaze ranking over his body. He followed her line of sight looking down at his blood soaked shirt and pants. Her blood. "Sorry, guess i shoulda cleaned up a bit." He said softly. He took his vest off sitting it on the back of the chair he had been posted in for 3 days. He started unbuttoning his shirt. In front of others it would've never happened but Beth had seen the scars before, when her Daddy had been stitching him up. 'Wait, what the fuck are ya doin Dixon?! You don't remember what shes been through?' The voice spoke to him in his mind. His hands hovered over the last to unbuttoned buttons on his shirt. Noah had told him how each resident became property to one of the cops. That a few of them had been rapists, getting their jollies off before they went out into the cruel world. Noah told him that Beth had killed one of them. Had he been the one to touch Beth? Had he raped her? Or had she stopped him? Could it have been another one that had gotten to her? The bile started to rise in his throat. The same that it was when she had been kidnapped. How could he think about undressing in front of her knowing what she had probably been through. He wasn't going to ask if she had though and he didn't want to trigger anything for her either. Call him selfish but he didn't want to know. It'd just add more guilt to the pile had already for losing her in the first place.

"Whats wrong?" Beth asked watching him stand there for what seemed like minutes not moving at all. He shook his head looking up at her for the briefest moment and she saw it. Guilt. He looked away from her quickly knowing shed see it. Beth always could. No one else would see the crack in his armor but Beth could. Shed pealed it back that night at the shack and she stayed there making him feel. Feel things he hadn't really understood. "Talk to me Daryl." She said in a no-bullshit tone. She was feeling better he could tell from her tone and strength in her voice, the pain meds must have kicked in. He buttoned his shirt back up grabbing his vest off the back of the chair and crossbow from the floor and walked to the door but stopping just before opening the door.

"Gonna go git yer sister." He stated without turning to before opening the door and slipping out to the dark hallway.

She knew it. She knew he would blame himself. He didn't need to but she knew he would. She wanted to tell him she made it this far because of him. She was strong. She made it. She wanted to tell him she knew he would find her, that she was fighting to get out to find him. She knew he would still be out there. She knew that even if everyone else was dead hed still be out there somewhere and she needed him. She heard a soft sobbing coming from outside the door.

"Daryl?" She said loudly enough she knew he would hear her through the door. But then it was gone. A few moments later Maggie entered the room. She rushed to Beth sitting on the side of the bed and embracing her tightly. Beth hissed in pain. The pain medication was working but she could still feel the slight burning on her side. Maggie released Beth bringing her hands to Beth's face.

"Oh Bethy, I'm so glad you are ok. I thought i had lost you for good. I just couldn't stand the thought of losing both you and Daddy all together." Maggie said between sobs. "Daryl said you guys got out together but that you had been taken. He never gave up on you." Maggie said softly before placing a kiss to Beth's forehead.

Daryl sat outside the room like he had when he was waiting during her surgery. Maggie's words struck him and angered him also. Of course she was leaving out the part that she had given up on Beth. Had even left for Washington with Sargent Asshole and Dr. Fakie. But he would let them have their moment. He knew it would mean everything to Beth to have her sister back and he wasn't going to ruin that over the bitter feelings he had towards her sister. He needed a smoke anyways. Daryl stood up throwing his vest back on and heading to the roof to have a cigarette.

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Maggie had left a while ago leaving Beth to rest. Noah came in to check on her gave her the update on Dawn which she was already aware of. Although Noah had told her about Daryl's freakout after she was shot.

"That the man you were with when you were taken?" He asked her. Beth nodded. "That's why they didn't take him. He don't take no bullshit. He shot Dawn with no hesitation." Beth looked up wide eyes after Noah finished speaking. "He your boyfriend?" Noah asked. Beth didn't answer the question. Just closed her eyes and let the medication drift her off to sleep.

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"How is she?" Rick asked Daryl as he stomped out his cigarette.

"Shes up." He replied fixing the crossbow strap across his chest.

"Good. Good. I'm gonna ask the doc how long she is gonna take to heal so we can get out of this hell hole." Rick replied while looking over the city below. Daryl nodded and turned to go back in. "Daryl, it ain't on you. You know that right?" Rick said sensing Daryl's mood. Daryl nodded before walking away.

Daryl walked back to Beth's room. The door was ajar and he looked in seeing Beth sleeping peacefully. He was tempted to go back in and sit with her as she slept but he decided to go look for the rest of the group instead. The time would come they would leave this place and they would need supplies. And he needed new clothes and Beth would too.

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"Hey, you seen Daryl?" Rick asked Maggie. "I stopped by Beth's room but she wasn't in there."

"He found an empty room, said he was resting up cause he was gonna go on a run for supplies for when we left." Maggie answered. Rick nodded and left her room headed to find Daryl. He found him in the room next to Beth's. 'Never too far.' He thought to himself. He knew something had to be going on but he didn't know if it was romantic feelings or just guilt for losing Beth.

"What ya want?" Daryl grumbled out, arm draped over his eyes.

"Heard ya wanna go on a run." Rick stated." Shepard said shes gonna go on a run wants us ta go with her. You down?" He asked leaning against the door frame.

"When?" Daryl asked without moving a muscle.

"Tomorrow." Rick answered.

"A'right." Daryl answered and then waited for Rick to walk away before sitting up on his bed.

Daryl had laid down to rest, try to sleep but he couldn't. All he could think about was the pretty blonde girl that was next door. He stood up noticing it was just about time for dinner and headed to the cafeteria. He made a plate but took more helpings than was recommended for rationing. He silently walked past the group who seemed to be talking over a plan for where they would head next. He reached Beth's room and could hear her humming, the door ajar so he could make the tune out clearly. It was the song she had sang the night before all this mess started. She had been sitting at the piano, singing to him without even knowing it. He remembered standing in the doorway then just as he was now, letting her voice flow over him and under the hard shell that everyone else saw. She had always thought her singing had bothered him, thanks to that drunken night at the shack in the middle of the woods. The truth is, her voice was calming and that was one emotion he had never been comfortable with. Until her.

"You just gonna stand there or ya gonna come in?" She asked.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Didn't get very many reviews on the last chapter. Hope I'm not losing yall :( Thank you for the love i did receive :) Again, i do not own the characters or the setting in which they are living. I just own their actions in this story ;)

"There is a old homeless shelter up this way we haven't hit due to the biters. But it seems yall know how to handle yourselves around them so i think we can handle it." Shepard said as she rounded a corner.

"How many are there?" Rick asked.

"A dozen. Maybe a few more. Not too many but we only went out in pairs so it was too risky. I think we can manage it with three." She said parking the car in front of the large building that used to be the homeless shelter. "They stocked up on MREs, canned goods, and clothes so we should make out like fat rats here. Get yall enough to last a while, while you're out on the road." She said getting out from the car. Rick glanced at Daryl sitting in the backseat before opening the door and taking out a walker that had been stumbling from an alley across the street. Daryl followed the the officer to the front door, holding up a finger to the officer and banging on the glass of the door lightly. He looked at rick and nodded knowing Rick knew what he was doing.

"Shepard you keep an eye on the street." Rick stated and the officer nodded standing behind them looking over the street. Daryl opened the door slightly letting a walker amble out one at a time allowing Rick to take each one out until no more were waiting at the door. "Come on. And remember keep your eyes peeled." Rick said before opening the door and entering the building, Daryl and Shepard right behind him. Shepard and Rick headed to the kitchen taking out a few straggling walkers on the way and Daryl headed to the housing area in search of clothes. After opening the door the death growls started and he knew from the sounds of it, there was definitely more than one. Closing the door back he went to another door finding an abandoned office. He closed the door behind himself making sure there would be no surprises. He spotted a door to the left of the desk and approached it cautiously knowing anything could be waiting there. He opened it slowly shining his light in and finding stacks of shirts, pants, coats, and more. 'Jackpot.' He thought to himself as he grabbed the pack off his back and started stuffing in men's clothing. Maggie had told him before he left what size pants he needed to get for Beth. He reached up to the shelf labeled 'Women's' pulling all the jeans and shirts down he fumbled with tags finding two pairs of pants in her size. Looking over the shirts he found one in pink, girls liked pink right? The next was baby blue and it reminded him of her eyes. He stuffed the two in the pack and started stuffing the clothes back in the closet. A yellow shirt dropped to the floor and he thought back to the golf club, the search for booze, the shack, the funeral home. A scream rang out in the building breaking his thoughts and he grabbed the yellow shirt, throwing it in the bag before running down the hallway to the main room again, crossbow raised. The room was empty so he went in search of the kitchen. Rick was standing over a walker he had just taken out and past that laid Shepard gripping her neck as she bled out.

"What the hell happened?" Daryl asked.

"I was in the back storage room and i heard her scream and found this bastard behind her ripping into her throat." He said gesturing to the dead walker.

"we gotta go, her scream 's gonna have every walker on us like stink on shit." Daryl said lifting Shepard's limp body up over his shoulder. Rick nodded grabbing the two fully loaded bags over his shoulders and started jogging back to the entrance of the building.

"Too late." Rick said looking out the front door, seeing a horde of the dead ambling in the street. "We give it a few hours, if they ain't cleared out. We call for backup." He said looking over at Daryl. Daryl laid Shepard's unconscious body down on the ground, taking out his blade and impaling it in her temple.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What happened between you two?" Maggie asked as she brushed Beth's hair. Beth shrugged her shoulders not knowing exactly what to say. 'What changed your mind?' The scene played in her head again now and the same outcome came. No answer from Daryl, just that gaze that made her core clench. The gaze was enough to make her fall apart at the time and again in this moment just thinking about it. 'Oh.' The moment she muttered it she wanted to take it back. The word didn't fully express what she was feeling at that very moment. She was feeling consumed. Consumed by the burning feeling in the pit of her stomach, the swelling in her chest, and the intense feeling she was feeling from Daryl's gaze. She had changed his mind about there being good people but this stare felt like it meant much more than that. Just like the look she had gotten from him in the basement when talking about the beauty she found in the person restoring the walkers back to people. It was like he was silently trying to tell her something that failed him in words. She knew of his past and knew of the life he had lived before all of this but had he never before experienced what she was feeling right then?

"Beth? Whats wrong?" Maggie's voice interrupted her thoughts bringing her back to the current day.

"Hmm?" She hummed out.

"What were you thinking about? Ya blanked out for a minute there. You looked happy." Maggie said starting to french braid Beth's hair.

"Daryl." She whispered out. "He's, he's so much more than people give him credit for." She said trying to put together words but failing miserably with trying to express what she was feeling right now.

"He's changed. Like in a good way. I think its got somethin to do with you but i don't know what it is. He wouldn't give up on you. And the whole time you were passed out he never left your side. Like you were his lifeline or somethin." Maggie said as she finished the braid. Beth stood up from the floor slowly, wincing at the pain of her stitches pulling slightly. "Come on lets get you in bed." Maggie said helping Beth get back in her bed.

"Maggie, something happened but i don't know what it was. It was right before i was taken. He was alright with it just being us. Just living in that funeral home that was secure with me. He let his guard down that moment and i could see somethin but i don't know what it was. And then all hell broke loose." Beth explained.

"Beth hes like 10 or 12 years older than you. You mean to tell me you think Daryl Dixon was falling in love with you?" Maggie laughed a bit at the thought. Daryl was too closed off from those kinds of feelings let alone for a girl Beth's age.

"What the hell Maggs. Daddy and Mom were years apart like that. You think that cant work?" Beth asked starting to get a bit defensive.

"All's I'm sayin is this is Daryl we are talkin about. He hasn't given any girl hes came across a second glance. You honestly think he would go for a little girl?" Maggie said sitting down at on the side of Beth's bed.

"I'm not a little girl Maggie. That little girl died the moment i changed my mind about livin. And as far as age goes, I'm an adult now." Beth fumed. She went to sit up in her bed but fell back in pain.

"Get some rest Bethy. We can talk about this later." Maggie said tucking the blanket around Beth and turning to walk out the door.

"Hey, can you tell Daryl to come in here?" Beth asked.

"Hes out with Rick on a run with Officer Shepard. I will tell him when he comes back." Maggie answered with a smile before closing the door behind her. He had left without telling her. 'I hate goodbyes.' 'Me, too.' Ut rang in her head calming her nerves a little at him not telling her about the run. Beth closed her eyes seeing Daryl staring back at her, sitting at that kitchen table again, jelly and spoon in hand. He was telling her something and she needed to know what it was. Wait, was he leaning in? Was he going to kiss her before they were so rudely interrupted by walkers? God she hoped so. Beth opened her eyes unable to sleep. Her heart beating fast in her chest at just the prospect that maybe Daryl was falling for her. Maybe he liked her more than she realized back then. Did she love him? She knew she liked Daryl. Inside that tough exterior was a boy who was sweet, caring, and adorable. Yeah, she liked him. She though back to the urgency that came over him at her ankle being trapped in that trap, the humor in that piggyback ride, and the tenderness in the way he carried her to the breakfast he prepared for them in the funeral home. He had been so sweet to her. 'Damn romance novel' she chuckled at the thought. Every act commited to memory could've been regarded as romantic to anyone who wasn't blindly naive like she was then. If he didn't love her it was obvious he liked her. Beth felt sure of it now. Now she just had to wait until he got back to talk to him about it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They're thinnin out a bit." Rick said looking over to Daryl sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. "We'll give them a little bit more time and we should be able to make it to the car." Rick said sitting down next to Daryl. "Wanna talk about it brother?" Rick asked looking over at Daryl who was playing with the hem of his shirt. "Beth?" Rick asked. Daryl looked over at him through the hair in his face. "Its kinda obvious somethin's there Daryl. I mean i haven't seen it from her side but its obvious she means somethin' to ya." Rick answered Daryl's stare. "You care about her, that much i can tell. I know i asked before but is the feeling romantic?" Rick asked. Daryl stared for a minute and was just about to open his mouth when a bang from down the hallway stopped him. The sound of walkers echoing down the hallways.

"We gotta go Rick." Daryl said grabbing his pack, Shepard, and his crossbow. "The livin' quarters were full. Sounds like they got out." Daryl said making his way to the door. Rick gathered his things and made his way to the door.

"Ok, you get yerself and Shepard to the car, i got you covered." Rick said pulling his gun from its place on his hip. The walkers emerged from the hallway making their way to Rick and Daryl. "Go. Now!" Rick hollered and Daryl didn't hesitate. Daryl exited the building dodging a walker on the sidewalk. Rick stabbed the walker and got to shooting any that were too close for comfort as Daryl loaded Shepard and his bag in the back. after closing the back door he ran up on a walker that was making its way too close to Rick, stabbing it in the back of the head.

"Come on!" Daryl yelled at Rick who was rounding the front of the car. Daryl hopped into the drivers seat starting the car up just as Rick closed the passenger side door behind him. Daryl jammed on the gas as the car got rolling, dodging walkers that were throwing themselves at the car. Once they were out of the thick of it Daryl released a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and navigated themselves back towards the hospital. "Folks at the hospital ain't gonna be too happy about Shepard." Daryl said before turning the corner, the hospital came into view.

"We'll deal with it." Rick said his jaw clenching tightly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beth woke with a start not realizing that she had fell asleep in the first place. There was yelling in the hallway. She worked through the pain and lifted herself off the bed stumbling to the door feeling lightheaded. She opens the door leaning against the frame for support she spots Daryl holding one of the female cop's body in his arms.

"Death follows you people." One of the officers says loudly. "You guys have tonight but you are gone tomorrow. We cant afford to lose anymore of our people." He says before storming away down the hallway. Beth's hands on the door slip causing her to fall.

"Beth!" Daryl's frantic voice calls out as he drops Shepard's body to the floor. He sprints to Beth who is on her knees in her doorway. He kneels down and picks her up in his arms again. The doctor walking up casually behind him.

"Shes dehydrated. I will have one of the residents bring some water to her room." He states loudly. "And i will leave some extra pain medication in her room for your travels." He whispers to Daryl before walking past him to take care of the fallen officer's body. Daryl walked Beth back into her room closing the door behind him. He placed her on the bed then removing his crossbow and pack from his back and sitting them down in the chair he'd spent so much time in.

"Daryl?" Beth spoke softly.

"We're gettin ya some water. Hold on." Daryl said as he walked to the door in search of this water that was supposed to be coming. He spotted an older man coming down the hallway with two bottles of water. He left the room for a split second to meet the man and thank him for the water. He entered the room cracking one of the bottles open and handing it to her.

"Thank you." Beth said after she gulped down the first bottle. He handed her the second bottle and turned to the bag on the chair. He grabbed the shirts and jeans he had gotten for Beth out and sat them on the arm of the chair before pulling out a pair of jeans and a worn black dress shirt.

"New clothes?" Beth asked as she sipped on the second bottle. He nodded before walking to the door to go change in one of the spare rooms. "You gonna shower first before you put on those clean clothes?" Beth asked unsure if she had ever seen Daryl clean straight from a shower or bath. The thought of Daryl in a shower making her skin heat a bit causing a blush to creep up her neck.

"Ya sayin i stink, Greene?" He asked with an amused look on his face.

"Don't we all?" She said with a chuckle.

"You never have." He said causing her to blush. He turned quickly exiting the room, Daryl's personal Danger Zone. He cleaned himself up as much as he could with a washcloth and got dressed, ripping the the sleeves off the dress shirt and putting his vest back on. He walked back to Beth's room, the door closed. He knocked gently not wanting to wake her if she had fallen back asleep.

"One second." Beth hollered out a few minutes before opening the door and gesturing for him to come in. She closed the door behind them. They had a lot to talk about, or atleast she thought they did. "Thank you for the clothes." She said as she joined him sitting on the edge of her cot.

"Ya needed somethin' ta wear." He mumbled out shrugging his shoulders. He looked up and over at her. She looked beautiful. The color back in her skin and glowing just like the smile she wore. Pieces of her hair falling loosely around her face from falling out of the loose braid in her hair. She had changed from her hospital gown into a pair of the straight leg jeans he had brought her and the yellow shirt with a v-neckline.

"What?" She asked with a smile.

"How ya feelin'?" He asked. She had to have been in pain unless she had more pain killers in her than he thought.

"I'm good it hurts a little but its starting to get bearable with the pain killers. The doc came in and said I'm healing well. I guess the stitches are the kind that deteriorate after its done healing." She said lifting her shirt and showing the long incision with stitches. Daryl could feel his neck heat at seeing the milky skin of her stomach and he swallowed the lump in his throat looking away.

"Well that's good." He said looking around the room aimlessly.

"Daryl can i ask you somethin?" She said as she smoothed her shirt over her stomach.

"Hmm?" He hummed out looking back at her.

"Do you like me?" She asked looking down and playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Mhmm, came lookin fer ya didn't i?" He said with the hint of a smile on his lips.

"I mean do you like, like me." She stated knowing he took the friend route on the first question. Daryl didn't answer but looked around the room. Daryl grunted shrugging his shoulders. "Don't." She said mocking his actions. She smiled it reminded her of that time. When things were starting to look up. When he practically told her he was feeling things he didn't quite understand with that gaze that made her body turn to flames. That gaze he was giving her at this moment. As soon as she realized that gaze her skin blushed in understanding.

He looked away from her quickly not knowing what to do or say next. He felt Beth's fingertips on his jaw turning him to face her silently. Her blue eyes were shining and he wanted nothing more than to let himself drown in them.

Beth had spent so long wondering if she was the only one who felt something that night and now she was sure she wasn't. She was grateful to have this moment as it may not have ever happened if Daryl hadn't found her and she hadn't survived. She kept one hand cupped on his face and placed the other on his shoulder. She leaned in brushing her lips against his and feeling him tense at the contact. She let her lips linger against his unmoving ones before slowly pulling away.

It was as if something inside him snapped at that very moment. Her lips were so soft, warm and inviting. He felt every nerve ending in his body tingle and the rock hard feeling in his chest burst open in warmth. She started to pull away but he wasn't ready for it. Not when he had waited so long for it. Not when the chance almost slipped away when Dawn shot her. Life was short but it was even shorter when death lurked around every corner waiting to tear you to shreds. He placed his hand behind her head and pulled her back to his lips.

This kiss wasn't like the first. Daryl had relaxed and his lips moved against hers this time. The feeling was urgent and delicious. She had kissed guys before but it had never set her soul on fire like Daryl was doing right now. His tongue slid against her bottom lip and a pulsing between her thighs started. She opened her mouth to him not knowing what to do. His tongue slid into her mouth circling her own as he slid an arm around her back pulling her as close as possible to his body. He tasted of smoke, sweetness of peaches, and something else that could only be described as being distinctly Daryl. He pulled his tongue from her mouth, pulling away from her mouth and nipping her bottom lip. She sighed at the loss of contact immediately.

He pulled away after drinking her in. He felt as refreshed as a man in a desert finding water. Her eyes fluttered open, pupils blown and he knew his probably looked the same. He had never wanted anything more in his life. He wanted little Beth Greene, he needed her, like the ships needed a lighthouse close to shore.


End file.
